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just read an article in discover magazine asserting that heading the ball in soccer, like repeated blows to the head in boxing, damages your brain to a measureable degree.

certainly i've seen stars a few times after particularly hard ukemi. so, i'm wondering whether that's the kind of impact that might damage some grey matter. anyone have any info on potential brain damage for aikidoka and judoka?

thanks for the response. i guess what i'm thinking of, though, is something more along the lines of the cumulative effects a lot of hard breakfalls ( but not quite hard enough for a concussion) rather than the effect of a smaller number of concussion inducing falls.

Properly performed break falls should not cause too much impact on the brain-especially the soft breakfalls. However, not tucking your chin and allowing the head to hit the mat or snap back on any type of fall is risky. Letting the head hit the mat and then suddenly stop increases the risk of the brain (which is still in motion) touching the inside of the skull. The severity of concussions and the cumulative effects depends on how many times you bounce your brain off the skull. Long term problems can include headaches and memory problems.

something more along the lines of the cumulative effects a lot of hard breakfalls ( but not quite hard enough for a concussion) rather than the effect of a smaller number of concussion inducing falls.

Gary, it is an excellent question, but AFAIK no research exists and the reason most likely is the very subclinical nature of these events.

While a boxer does not report to an ER following every blow to the head, his manager/trainer knows how many blows he's taking in any fight and cumulatively because they are paying attention.

When we train, we don't and can't quantify for each person how often/how hard they are hitting; nobody is tracking it over time, and nobody is giving cognitive tests and brain scans, and ruling out all the other variables.